6 things to watch, Part 1: Saints at Seahawks

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We’ll do the same thing as last week with our things to watch. Here’s the first installment.

1. Hasselbeck is back. But is he really back?

As absurd as all the hubbub over the Seahawks quarterback situation was throughout the week, there really was never much of a controversy. It was going to be Matt Hasselbeck the entire time, as we know now, but Pete Carroll just wanted to make sure there were no lingering effects from Hasselbeck’s hip strain.

Now that we know who’s playing, though, the question still remains of which Hasselbeck we’re going to see.

Matt Hasselbeck had a big game against the Saints earlier this season. (Getty Images/Otto Greule Jr.)

The Saints have already seen one version, and they’d prefer not to see him again. Remember when Hasselbeck threw for 366 yards and a touchdown against New Orleans in Week 11?

That game feels like it was played decades ago, and not just because it was November.

Hasselbeck simply hasn’t been the same player since. He committed 13 turnovers in his next four games, a miserable stretch that culminated with his benching in the second half of an ugly loss to Atlanta.

Obviously, Carroll went back to him the next week against Tampa Bay, and he led the Seahawks to a touchdown on their first possession before pulling up lame and exiting with a muscle strain.

He’ll have to summon the same kind of performance he had against the Saints – one unmatched by any quarterback New Orleans has faced this year – to give his team a shot at pulling off the upset.

History is on his side – as in, he’s been there for a lot of it. This will be Hasselbeck’s 10th playoff start.

“It factors, yeah,” Carroll said. “It factors. It’s a factor that Matt also played well against these guys and has played against this coordinator before. And he remembers, it’s not like he’s blanked on the times he’s played against (Saints defensive coordinator) Gregg (Williams). I don’t know how many times it is, but I know we’ve talked about that and he understands the kind of stuff that he needs to expect and the fact that it could change.”

2. The Saints might not go marching…at least not on the ground.

The Seahawks don’t have to worry about getting beaten down by Saints running back Chris Ivory this time around. He was placed on injured reserve earlier in the week.

So was Pierre Thomas, who likely would have been New Orleans’ next option.

That puts the onus on Reggie Bush – who hasn’t exactly been the picture of health this season, either – and Seahawk fan favorite Julius Jones to take the bulk of the Saints’ carries.

Ivory rushed for 99 yards in the teams’ first meeting.

“He was a fantastic player on that day,” Carroll said. “Gosh, he ran the ball extremely effectively against us. We could not tackle him on that day.”

Can Bush and Jones replicate that?

Lawyer Milloy warned against any thoughts that the Seahawks’ defense can relax a bit without Ivory or Thomas in the New Orleans backfield.

“It’s not like we’re sitting there popping champagne because those two guys are gone,” Milloy said. “As long as they have Drew Brees, they can win. I know Julius Jones is going to come up here with a chip on his shoulder. Reggie Bush is a great player. They have enough options. So we’re preparing for their team, not individuals.”

Bush and Jones have combined for 343 rushing yards this season.

3. Can the Seahawks get to Brees?

Not many teams have this season. Brees has been sacked 25 times, obviously an average of fewer than twice per game.

None of those sacks belong to Seattle, which failed to get to Brees when the teams played in Week 11.

If the Saints can’t get their running game going without Ivory and Thomas, getting pressure on Brees could make it even more difficult for New Orleans to find an offensive rhythm.

Easier said than done, of course.

“They execute well,” defensive end Raheem Brock said. “They got a great quarterback, they got great weapons on offense, (Marques) Colston and (Jeremy) Shockey, and a couple running backs and a good offensive line that’s been together a while and know how to play well together. We want to stop that running game and get to Brees and try to make him make some mistakes.”

“To their credit, (Brees) gets rid of the ball when he feels like the pressure’s coming, and he has a quick release where he can get it out of his hand fast,” Seahawks defensive line coach Dan Quinn said. “A lot of the times with quarterbacks who are just really sharp, (they) can sense it and get it out of their hands fast.

“I think it’s a combination of they have a good line. When he feels like he has pressure, he has the ability to get it out of his hand quickly.”